Stolen Jade boulder recovered

A massive jade boulder stolen from the front of a shop in Cache Creek has been recovered. Cariboo Jade and Gifts announced the 2,800-pound boulder was found intact.

Worth upwards of $50k to the right person, the rock was stolen on Dec. 19. A group of thieves used an excavator on a flatbed to lift the rock onto the trailer towed by a brown pickup truck. The truck and trailer were later found dumped in Kamloops, but the stone and excavator were still missing. A photo posted to Facebook by Cariboo Jade and Gifts shows the boulder where it was dumped by the crooks.

Boghossian emerald necklace - $7m

A Boghossian emerald necklace was top lot of a recent Christies sale on November 30, 2020. The necklace made US$7m breaking the record for a selection of no oil Colombian emeralds set in May 2017.

Top non-diamond engagement Rings

Controlling supply and directing demand, De Beers was able to build and control a market unlike other companies ever have.

Diamonds did not always top the list for most desired engagement stone. When De Beers ran large-scale and effective marketing campaigns it changed the perception of diamonds and built a story around their aura. De Beers created a story of love, romance, and indestructible commitment around the diamond.

Morganite is one of the hottest engagement ring alternatives. Morganite is traditionally pink to orange-pink in color and is often found in large sizes. Garnet is a series of many different minerals each with its own unique chemical formula. Garnet comes in many colors. Reds and pinks seem the most popular for engagement rings.

Moissanite is a naturally occurring silicon carbide with similar look and characteristics of a diamond at a fraction of the cost.

Tanzanite is 1000 times rarer than diamonds and is a single source gemstone ... and that source is running out. Tanzanite is a blue variety of zoisite with a rich deep blue and sometimes purple hues.

Oregon Sunstone is becoming more popular in an engagement ring. The inclusion of copper crystals within the Sunstone (plagioclase feldspar) is unique and imparts a speckled glimmer within the gemstone. Tsavorite is a variety of garnet that hosts calcium-aluminum, and trace amounts of chromium and vanadium to impart the rich green color.

Mountain Province Diamonds lands 157.4 carat diamond

The 157.4 carat diamond was found at the Gahcho Kué mine. Mountain Province Diamonds (TSX:MPV), holds a 49% stake in the Gahcho Kué mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories. It said the diamond is the largest ever found. The 157.4-carat “gem quality” stone will be offered for sale during the first quarter of 2021.

Kashmir sapphire brings $6m at Christie's

An Art Deco Kashmir sapphire of 12.64 carats and diamond brooch by Cartier, formerly from the collection of Jean Stralem made $1.5m.

Christie’s New York announced its auction of Magnificent Jewels and the preceding Jewels Online auction from November 18 to December 1, which together present over 500 lots. The live auction offered over 380 jewels featuring a notable selection of coloured diamonds, colourless diamonds, and gemstones, alongside important signed pieces by Suzanne Belperron, René Boivin, Bulgari, Cartier, David Webb, Harry Winston, JAR, Marina B, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, and Verdura. Leader was a Kashmir sapphire and diamond bracelet of 43.10 carats surrounded by 67.90 carats of diamonds. It made $6m.

‘The Du Pont' Padpradscha Sapphire ring 24.58 carats made $930,000. Intense Purplish pink diamond earrings of 2.61 and 2.34 carats, potentially IF. $2m.

Sotheby’s New York Magnificent Jewels auction

A Cartier emerald and diamond ring blew far past it's estimate to become the top lot at Sotheby’s New York Magnificent Jewels auction. It fetched $3.6m, more than three times its high estimate. The ring features a 21.86-carat Colombian square-emerald-cut emerald flanked by diamonds and mounted on 18k yellow gold. A 2-carat fancy vivid orange diamond fetched nearly $1.9m.

Farmer in India recovers 14.98 carat diamond

A farmer in India said his life is completely changed after he found a 14.98-carat rock worth more than 6 million rupees, or about $80k. Lakhan Yadav, 45, found the diamond on land he started renting last month for 200 rupees (about $2.70) in Madhya Pradesh. The diamond was later sold for 60.6 lakh. (a lakh is 100,000 rupees.) Yadav said the treasure revealed itself in a handful of dirt, and that he nearly mistook the diamond for a pebble. “It has changed my life,” he said.